SDSU hosts Progressive Legends Classic

South Dakota State opened the Progressive Legends Classic with a 68-54 loss at Texas Tech on Thursday, and now returns home to host the Brookings Subregional of the event on Monday and Tuesday.

The Jackrabbits open the tournament on Monday against the Howard Bison at 8 p.m., with Lehigh and Texas Southern opening the action on Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Frost Arena.

The two losing teams then play on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., followed by the winners at 8 p.m.

SDSU returns to Brookings after dropping its first game in the Progressive Legends Classic at Texas Tech, where Brayden Carlson led the Jackrabbits with 14 points. Cody Larson added 12 points in the loss, and Chad White scored one point more than he needed to become the 44th member of the SDSU 1,000-Point Club.

Pierre, S.D., native, and 2012 South Dakota Sportscaster of the Year, Tyler Merriam returns for his third season as the voice of Jackrabbit men’s basketball. He also serves as the voice of Jackrabbit football and baseball.

THE JACKRABBIT INSIDER ON KELOLAND-TV – Fans of South Dakota State Athletics can get a weekly behind-the-scenes look at all 21 Jackrabbit varsity sports teams by tuning into “The Jackrabbit Insider.”

Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the show airs on Sundays on MyUTV at 10:30 p.m., followed by broadcasts on Sunday at 11 p.m. on KELOLAND-TV and on Fox Sports North on Tuesdays at 6 p.m.

PERFECT AT HOME NO MORE – The Jackrabbits entered the 2013-14 season with school and Summit League record 30 consecutive home wins, also the longest streak in Division I, but the Montana Grizzlies snapped the streak with a 77-69 win on Nov. 14, 2013.

JACKS DOUBLE UP – After posting a single double-double in each of his first two seasons, Jordan Dykstra posted double-doubles in a team-high nine games as a junior in 2012-13. He posted two double-doubles in five games this season pushing his all-time total to 13, while Cody Larson posted his first career double-double vs. Southwest Minnesota State on Nov. 18.

FIVE IN DOUBLE FIGURES – Five Jackrabbits scored at least 10 points in the Jacks win over Southwest Minnesota State on Monday, marking the first time that’s happened since Feb. 2, 2013, when five did so at Kansas City.

ON THE RECORD

DYKSTRA CLIMBING ALL-TIME SCORING LIST – Senior Jordan Dykstra became the 43rd member of the SDSU 1,000-Point Club in the Jacks win over South Dakota on Jan. 31, and immediately started to climb the scoring charts. He entered the 2013-14 season ranked 23rd all-time at SDSU with 1,149 points, and continues his climb in 2013-14. He needs 36 points to pass Mark Schultz (1,259 points from 1982-86) for 19th all-time at SDSU.

DYKSTRA CRACKS TOP-10 IN CAREER 3-POINTERS – Dykstra opened the season with 142 career 3-pointers, five shy of cracking the all-time top-10 at SDSU, which he did at Texas Tech on Nov. 21. He enters the week tied for 10th all-time at SDSU with 147 career triples.

WHITE HITS 1,OOO-POINT MILESTONE – Senior Chad White came up 53 points shy of becoming the 44th member of the SDSU 1,000-Point Club last year, but hit the mark at Texas Tech on Nov. 21. He enters the week with 1,001 points, but needs just 10 points to move up five spots on the all-time list.

WHITE CLIMBS CAREER 3-POINT FG CHARTS – Chad White entered the 2013-14 season with 169 career 3-point field goals, good for fifth all-time at SDSU. With 177 now for his career, he needs 21 more to pass Randy Suarez (197 3-point FGs from 1986-89) for fourth all-time. White made 75 triples last year as a junior.

CARLSON EYES 1,000-POINT CLUB – Senior Brayden Carlson scored just 85 points as a freshman, but scored 254 as a sophomore and 317 as a junior, giving him 656 entering his senior season, he now needs 266 points to reach the 1,000 point milestone, or just over 10 points per game over the next 26 games.

GOOD FOR THREE! – Three of the top-10 three-point shooters in SDSU history, based on 3-point field goal percentage, currently play for the Jackrabbits. Jordan Dykstra leads the way with .448 percent, Chad White ranks third with a .424 mark from deep, while Brayden Carlson enters the game ranked seventh with a .400 career mark from long range.

TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS

Howard Bison (2-4) – (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)

Head coach Kevin Nickelberry began rebuilding the Bison last season, his first as head coach, into the force they once were in the MEAC. With 10 new players on the 2013-14 roster, including seven freshmen, Nickelberry looks to 6-5 swingman Prince Okoroh to provide leadership. Okoroh is the Bison’s leading returning scorer and rebounder with at 6.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season.

The Jackrabbits vs. Howard – First Meeting

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (1-4) – (Patriot League)

Head coach Brett Reed guided Lehigh to its third 20-win season and postseason berth in the last four years as the Mountain Hawks went 21-10 and played in the CBI presented by Buick. Two starters return from that squad, led by second team Patriot League selection Mackey McKnight, who led the team with 153 assists while scoring at an 11.9 points per game clip. Back court mate Anthony D’Orazio netted 6.4 points per game while starting 29 of 31 games.

The Jackrabbits vs. Lehigh – First Meeting

Texas Southern Tigers (2-4) – (Southwestern Athletic Conference)

The Tigers won the SWAC regular season title in going 16-2 in league play, including 12 straight wins to close the season, head coach Mike Davis’ first year at the helm of the program. For the Tigers’ success, Davis earned SWAC Co-Coach of the Year. This year, TSU returns three starters, led by third-team all-league selection Ray Penn, a guard who scored 14.0 points per game and handed out a team-best 5.7 assists per game. He’s joined in the backcourt by Lawrence Johnson-Danner, who tallied 8.5 points per game last season.

The Jackrabbits vs. Texas Southern – First Meeting

NEXT UP FOR THE JACKRABBITS – SDSU heads to the state of California for a second time this season on take on UC Santa Barbara on Friday at 7 p.m. PT, and then heads north to Palo Alto, Calif., to close the Progressive Legends Classic at Stanford on Sunday at 5 p.m. PT.

The Jackrabbits return home on Wednesday, Dec. 4, to take on Dakota State at 7 p.m.